Excavator.



P. GAViN.

EXCAVVATOR. APPLICATION FILED MAY 6. I9I5.

Patented Apr. 25, 1916.l

IIx/Ilm PETER GAVIN, 0F KAMLOOPS, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA..

EKCAVATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented flpr. 25, llllllb.

Application led May 6,1915. Serial No. 26,410;

.To all whom t may concern Be it known that L PETER GaviN, a subject of the King of Great Britain, and resident of the city of larnloopsa in the countyl of Yale, in the Province of British Columbia, Dominion of Canadruhave invented certain new and useful lmprovements in Excavators, of which the following is the specification.

This invention relates to excavators particularly adapted for use in placer mines, subaqueous and similar constructional operations.

The object of the invention is to Provide means for automatically securing and releasing a shovel carrying carriage to and from a suspended cable prior to and after dumping all the excavated material in the shovel.

rlhe invention also has other objects such as the facilitating of digging into the material to be moved; of refinement of parts so that the device may be easily assembled, adjusted and taken apart for shipment; besides the simplification and cheapening of the construction generally.

1With the above objects in view, the invention consists essentially of the improved construction particularly described and set forth in the following specification and accompanying drawings forming part of the same.

ln the drawings Figure l is a4 side elevation of the suspended carriage with the excavating shovel mounted thereon in a position ready for dumping. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the suspended carriage with the excavating shovel mounted thereon discharging its load. Fig. 3 is a pers ective view of the suspended carriage, roken away, with the automatic trip device mounted thereon...

Like characters of reference refer to like parts in the several drawings.

Referring to the drawings, A. represents the improved excavator comprising the inclined aerial cable g carrying the carriage it' to which the upper ends of the straps ai rigidly mounted on the rear end of the shovelC are pivotally mounted. The ends of the inclined cable are adjustably secured to transversely extending ropes or the like z and j, stretched between the supporting posts or trees lo and Z located'adjacent to the excavation and dumping bank respectively.,

rflic carriage is designed to travel-on the inclined cable g and to this end is provided with brackets m carrying rotatably mounted 'i pulleys n adapted to ride thereon while to obviate any tendency of the said carriage jumping the cable I preferably provide idler pulleys o rotatably mounted on the brackets and designed to engage the lower side of the cable diametrically opposite the rst said pulleys.

Mounted on the lateral faces of the carriage k near the front end thereof are brackets py adapted to house the pulleys E rotatably mounted on the transversely extending spindle q which further engages intermediate of its length the lower end of the lf-shaped frame a, the upper end of which carries the pivotally mounted gravity detents or claws b, the object of which will be made clear hereafter.

'lhe frame o; further carries intermediate of its ends the striking lever f pivotally mounted on the spindle 2 and having an olfset upper end pivotally engaging the pin 3 mounted in the lower end of the T-shaped striking lever c which is pivotally mounted intermediate of its length on the pin 1l. rll`he transverse `member of the 'lc-shaped striking lever c coacts with the upper end of the gravity detents or claws o.

The operation of the shovel is controlled by the hauling rope r carrying on one end a shackle 1F adapted 'to engage the flexible bridle s intermediate of its endss which bridle takes around the pulleys E and is secured at the ends to the upper odset ends of the angularly disposed braces t mounted on the shovel, the said bridle being further provided with a striking bar e rigidly mounted thereon.

To facilitate in the excavating 'I provide a plurality of pointed fingers D rigidly mounted on` the bottom of the shovel and braced to the back thereof.

Coacting with the striking lever f is an adjustabley stop member u mounted on the inclined cable g above the dumping bank,

Asuch member being preferably made in two portions having a conical head d and an integral shank lw adapted to be secured by bolts or the like, to embrace the said cable and be frictionally retained thereon in any desired position.

In the operation of the excavator the inclined Vcable g is lowered through the medium of block and tackle to permit of the shovel C resting on the material to be excavatedtaut the lingers D assist the front off the shovel in digging into the material and filling the shovel. The inclined cable isthen adjusted and the carriage z, carrying ythe bank when the detents b impinge on the conical head (l of the stop member u rotating the detents b which fall under the action of gravity to embrace the shank w and engage the back face of the said conical head so anchoring the carriage iri position, whereupon the hauling rope ris slackened oil' to allow the shovel to rotate in a vertical plane under the action of gravity and deposit its load.

Just as the dumping process has been completed and the shovel C hangs in a substantially lowered position, the striking member e carried by the bridle s impinges on the striking lever f rotating the same and disengaging the T-shaped lever c from the detents b which then rotate to clear the conical i head d of the stop member, the hauling rope 7' being then paid out to permit of the carriage la, returning to the excavation for the refilling of the shovel.

It will be clear that although the carriage 7L and the pivotally mounted shovel C carried thereby are free to return to the excavation under the action of gravity they are at all times under the control of the hauling rope 7' which is in turn controlled by any suitable type of motive or hauling power capable of being advantageously applied thereto.

It will be understood' that anyftype of motive or haulingcpower may be advantageously applied to thehauling rope 1".

By forming the fingersjD inthe manner stated, a cushioning 'effect is given to the shovel C when it is lowered primary 'to eX- cavating, and at thesame time the rear of widely different embodiments of my inven-A tion, within the scope ofthe claims, con- 1,iso,2ss y Ior scope thereof, it is intended that all mat- 'ter contained in the accompanying specification and drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not 1n a limiting sense. shovel C drawn up the same to the dumpmg What I claim as my invention is:

1. An excavator of the class described comprising an inclined aerial cable, a carriage mounted thereon, a gravity operated shovel' pivotally mounted to the carriage, a V-shaped frame pivotally carried by the carriage, claws pivotally mounted on the V' shaped frame and a conically headed stop member on the inclined cable adapted to coact with' the claws, substantially as described.

2. An excavator of the class described comprising an inclined aerial cable, a carriage mounted thereon, a shovel pivotally mounted to the carriage, pulleys pivotally mounted on the sides of the carriage near the front thereof, a bridle engaging with the pulleys and secured to the front end of the shovel, a hauling rope attached to the bridle. a V-sliaped frame mounted on the carriage, gravity detents mounted in the upper end of the V-shaped frame, a striking member on the bridle, .a striking lever pivotally mounted on the V-sliaped frame, a pivotally mounted T-shaped lever on the V-shaped frame operated by the striking lever, and a stop member on the inclined cable engaging with the said detents.

3. An excavator of the class described comprising an inclined aerial cable, a carriage supported therefrom, a shovel pivotally mounted to the carriage, an adjustable stop member mounted in the cable, grav-ity claws operatively supported from the carriage adapted to coact with the stop member,'a pivotally supported T-shaped lever coacting with the claws, and means for rotating lthe lever simultaneously with the ,dumping of theshovel.

In witness whereofI I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses. PETER GAYIN. lVitnesses:

JOHN DUCKSBURY, JOHN A. J AMIEsoN. 

